All we could do was hope that each victory helped us to win the impending war I was creating. Otherwise, we were all about to die.
Chapter One
Ayda
It was odd, sitting in the big, main room of The Hut around a makeshift table with the pack, their women and, in some cases, children. I had a sublime sense of belonging. There weren’t many times in life you got to feel like that. In my limited experience, there was only one that had counted in the past, and that was my family: Mom, Dad, and my kid brother, Tate. They were the people who had loved me unconditionally through all of my shortcomings and faults. When Mom and Dad were killed, I only had Tate, and he’d become my sole focus in life, something I wasn’t entirely sure had been all that healthy, if I was being honest.
Now I had this extended family surrounding me. It had taken a while for some of them to accept me, and even longer for others to fully trust me, but weeks of hard work had paid off. I’d taken the time to get to know as many of them as I could, and sitting at the head of our Thanksgiving table, next to Drew, I was happy to realize I knew every one of the pack by name, including their significant others and families. They had come to love me as much as I adored them, and although it had been a baptism of fire, we—Tate and I—were now a part of them. We were a part of their family and the brethren who protected one another above all else.
My life had changed drastically since the fire. I’d gone from existing to living, and I was enjoying every second of it. I cried from laughing too hard, I shouted to be heard over the family, and I worried only about the safety of those men that had come to mean the world to me.
Then there was Drew and I. We weren’t perfect. We had too much passion to live in complete harmony. We bickered. We fought and then we made up. He made me laugh, and I loved him with every inch of my mind, body, and soul. Even if he still hadn’t said the words aloud, I knew he loved me. Whether it was his actions or the surprised looks of his brothers, he’d set a precedent with our relationship. It was as new to him as it was to me. We were learning with one another, and taking one day at a time, which only served to bring us closer together.
There were things I still did against his better judgment, like working at the diner. The insurance from the house fire meant Tate and I could pay off the land and still have enough to send him to college while living comfortably. I, technically, didn’t have to work, but I still picked up shifts when I wanted to. There were two reasons for this, the first being I missed Rusty, Janette and the gang. They had been a large part of my life for years and I loved them. Just because I didn’t need to be there, didn’t mean that I didn’t want to be. The second was getting out of The Hut. I loved them all, and I loved the club, but I needed time away and Rusty’s diner was my salvation.
It wasn’t often I needed an escape, though, and it would have taken a pack of wild horses to drag me away on Thanksgiving. We invited everyone in the pack to join us, along with their families, and everyone showed up. It was bedlam to cook for that many people, and sitting therewatching everyone enjoying the meal was more satisfying than I ever could have imagined, even when Tate was pushing his luck. He and Kenny were trying their hardest to be surreptitious. The hands under the table meant one of two things, and the first was a little farfetched even for their budding bromance. It was a credit to him that he almost got away with it, too. They'd just underestimated my attention span when it came to my kid brother. I actually managed to get the next shot of Tequila out of his hands before he could knock it back.
“Hey!” Incredulousness dripped from Tate’s tone as he watched me take the drink and down it, his eyes widening as the sound of Kenny’s laughter grew.
“Do you remember what happened the last time you got wasted?” I asked, sliding the glass onto the table and wiping my mouth with the back of my hand. I wasn’t a complete killjoy. He'd already gotten away with two shots that I’d pretended not to see.
“It all worked out,” he said, flinging his arms about, barely missing Kenny’s face. “Look where we are now.”
“T, you gotta know when to pick your fights, bro.” Kenny laughed, raising his own glass to me and knocking it back. “Your lovely sister still gets to tell your ass what to do.”
“Fuck off, K-dog.”
“Jesus, Tate, language.”
“Yeah, Tate, language.” Kenny laughed again, elbowing Moose who was sitting on the other side of him.
“Don’t you start, K. I hold you personally responsible for his foul mouth.”
“Says the only woman I know who can curse my ass under the table.”
“You’re spending more time with him than I am these days,” I said, picking up my fork and waving it at him. “All in the name of football, right?”
“That and girls.”
“Plural?”
Tate’s elbow was firmly planted in Kenny’s ribs before he could fire back his response. Kenny wasn’t all that great at holding his tongue. He said what he was thinking, and he would deal with the consequences. It was only because Tate was a minor under my ever-vigilant eye that he had to edit himself. Even then, he never put that much thought into it. He didn’t think he was doing anything wrong. That meant that Tate was feeding him a line of bullshit.
“I think you and I need to have a chat, T.”
“Come on, A. He’s a teenage boy. He's practicing safe se—”
“Do not finish that sentence,Kenneth.”
I heard the murmur of laughter from the men on the other side of Kenny as he growled at me. I was abusing the fact that I knew his full name and we both knew it. It really wasn’t his fault. He was living the way he had since he’d become a part of the club, and it was on Tate that he was going against my wishes. I was just trying to convince Kenny to see where I was coming from. It was also my issue that sex and Tate in the same sentence made me shrivel up and hope the world opened up to swallow me whole. Okay, so it wasn’t quite as bad as all that, but they didn’t need that information.
“I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that,” I said, shoving mashed potato in my mouth, my other hand landing on Drew’s thigh. He was in conversation with Harry and Jedd on the other side of him, even though I was pretty sure he was alsolistening in on our little chat. The arm that sat along the back of my chair had fallen between the wood and my spine and was currently making soothing circles just above my ass. For the most part, it was working. Things had been tense for weeks, and the only time Drew seemed to relax was when he and I were alone in our room, where he didn’t have to be anything other than himself. Today had been the first time the ease had been universal, when everyone could see what I saw every day. This, more than anything else, helped my calm return, and I relaxed back into his touch, smiling at the two faces turned in my direction with their eyes narrowed. “Eat your green bean casserole, assholes.”
Drew’s hand soon slid to my waist before he leaned closer into me, pulling my body to his but keeping his face away from mine as he whispered, “You do realize that the more you berate those two, the worse they will behave, don’t you?” I didn’t have to turn to see his face. I could hear the smile in his voice when he spoke, and I knew that he found my misplaced maternal instincts funnier than anyone else at the table did.
As Tate and Kenny suddenly found their plates very interesting, I turned my head the smallest amount to affectionately rub my cheek on his shoulder. “Oh, I know, but one day they’re going to push me to the point where I retaliate. I went to college. I know some tricks their pea brains haven’t even considered yet.”
“I don’t doubt that for one second, Hanagan. You’re full of surprises.” Planting a small kiss on the top of my head, Drew pulled away again, sitting upright in his seat and breaking contact. I hated it instantly. Resting his arms on the table, he turned to flash me one of his signature smirks, followed by a wink before he picked up his fork and began toeat.
